


Chiaroscuro

by Loveunit



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Kal-El never made it to Earth, Kara has an entirely new backstory, Minor Character Death, Slightly Darker Kara, Supergirl doesn't exist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-03 04:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15811656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveunit/pseuds/Loveunit
Summary: When a series of murders began implicating aliens as the perpetrators, Kara may have to once again face the past she left behind.///The fiction where superpowers exist in a murder mystery





	1. Chapter 1

Kara Zor-El was 13 years old when her parents sent her away from everything she knew along with her infant cousin. As the pod landed on Earth, opening its door for her to enter a whole new world, her first reaction was to look for Kal-El. The sensors on her pod, connected to his, indicated that his pod hadn’t arrived on Earth. She left the safety of her pod, confused, disoriented. She periodically looked to the night sky hoping to see a flash that signaled Kal-El’s pod arriving. A flash of light shone from behind her and as she looked it became brighter and brighter before stopping in front of her. 

“Where are you from?” He asked.

“Krypton.” She replied.

In hindsight, perhaps she should’ve been more careful at revealing her true nature but the man didn’t seem to be surprised nor confused. He took her home and introduced her to a woman that reminded her so much of her own mother. The man and woman seemed to have a silent understanding before the woman enveloped Kara in a warm hug and told her, _you’re safe here._ Kara believed her.

Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers took her in and gave her their last name. When Kara told him she needed to look for her cousin, Jeremiah showed her his ‘modest equipment’ that could help her accomplish that. He helped her scour the skies, the land, day and night, searching for any sign of Kal-El. It took a couple of months for her to accept that she might never see him again.

The first signs of her powers manifested only a few days after she first arrived. After nearly destroying their kitchen, Eliza and Jeremiah trained her to control her power. Doing everything with only the slightest bit of pressure, different from what she used to do in Krypton. Her vision was trickier to control and Jeremiah gave her a lead-lined glasses to help. She didn’t know why these two strangers were there for her, helping her every step of the way, but her mother taught her to always be grateful for what she had.

Her relationship with Alex Danvers, their only child, things weren’t as easy. They were two teenage girls who suddenly had their whole life changed overnight. They bickered and fought nearly every day. Kara supposed she should’ve been more grateful to every Danvers and not just her adoptive parents but she couldn’t help it. Alex infuriated her. Until this day, she wasn’t sure what it was that changed, maybe they both simply grew up but Alex warmed up to her and Kara reciprocated. Alex turned from her biggest nemesis to one of the people she couldn’t live without. 

Life was beginning to look better. Like all things, there were good days and there were bad days. There would be days when she woke up drenched in sweat, screaming for her mother. She’d break down and sobbed, why did this happen to her? what had she done to deserve this? This time though, Alex was there for her, and so were Eliza and Jeremiah. 

She graduated from junior high, then high school and she left for National City university soon after graduation. It was weird, how she could remember most of her time at Krypton yet those began to feel like a distant memory. A whole other world. 

It was in the first week of her last year of university when she got the call. She couldn’t remember much, the only thing stuck in her mind was,

_Eliza and Jeremiah_

_Home invasion_

_Come home_

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, the voice of her sister on the phone registered bit by bit before she pulled herself together just long enough to arrange for travel plans back home. The temptation was strong… so strong… to just use her powers so she could get there faster, and she did. She flew as fast as she could, landing in the woods not far from her home. Just like Krypton, it felt like in an instant, her whole life was taken away from her again.

There were good days and there were bad days. There were times when she couldn’t leave her bed, the prospect of having to face the world, of having to keep on living felt too heavy to bear. There were times when she knew she needed to go on, if not for herself then for her sister. When she met Racquel the next year she dared herself to hope that this would be the start of a new chapter in her life. That maybe, this time would be different. That things would finally have a happy ending. Like her, Racquel had been through a lot. She taught her about grief, helped her navigate her way through the intricacies of dealing with the loss of a loved one or in Kara’s case, the losses of loved ones. Racquel also helped her navigate her way through the confusing road of sexuality. She had been Kara’s first in many ways.

She and Racquel didn’t last. Kara had another moment when she nearly gave up on everything before one of Racquel’s many advice came to mind, _just keep going_. She focused heavily on her career, landing a job on CatCo Media. She became a reporter, and the job engrossed her enough that she could forget, at least for a little while. 

Then humans found out aliens have been living among them.

The reign of Lex Luthor began.

Kara thought she’d experienced the worst part of life. She never expected to live in constant fear every day. Eliza and Jeremiah’s warnings had seemed harmless at the time. She never really imagined the true consequences of the knowledge of aliens living among humans could cause. 

She hoped it would blow away, that somehow maybe people would forget with time. After all, that was what people do wasn’t it? 

It didn’t. If anything, it got worse.

Kara knew things were bad when people began disappearing. People that were suspected to be aliens. No one ever connected them to Lex Luthor of course, but Kara knew better. Alex told her to get out of National City, but then people started disappearing away from National City and Kara refused to leave her life, again, because of a madman.

It was not a call but a short letter slipped under her doorway that would again alter the course of her life. They introduced themselves as a group of people that were most affected by Lex Luthor and his associates and invited Kara to meet. Perhaps it was the reporter in her, or perhaps she’d gone mad at that point, but Kara followed the instructions and arrived at the exact place and time. She expected it to be a creepy lair or a darkened alley, she didn’t expect it to be a luxurious restaurant.

As she stepped inside, giving the name they told her to the host, she looked at the man sitting at the table and wondered where she’d seen him before. Then it hit her.

They worked in the same building.

James Olsen.

James introduced himself properly then. No, he wasn’t an alien. He was part of a small group consisting of both aliens and humans with the sole purpose of putting Lex Luthor behind bars. He explained the true power of one Lex Luthor and how without them, he’ll continue to terrorize both aliens and humans alike, all without consequences. They’d like her to help. She told him how helping them would only put Alex in danger and after losing her family over and over again she couldn’t bear to lose Alex as well. They didn’t expect her to accept immediately, but they did offer something in exchange for her help. 

The people responsible for the death of Eliza and Jeremiah.

Kara felt like he just opened a can of worms he had no business in. Fueled by anger, she dared him to prove it.

They held their part of the bargain.

 

—

 

Lena Luthor sipped her champagne, the warm comforting sound of the piano accompanied the white noise of conversations buzzing around her. The grand ballroom’s ceiling was decorated with frescoes surrounding the massive chandelier in the middle of the room. The bright lighting brought out the dazzling clothing of the rich and famous, Some were there to make business connections, some to enjoy the lavish food and drink available, few were there to actually benefit the world. Lena herself had her hair tied up in a bun, wearing a strap-less long black dress, elegant yet feminine. 

It had been a few months since the end of Lex’s reign of terror in National City and a few years since aliens first became public knowledge. The collective fear of the people of this powerful unknown beings only intensified by Lex’s public propaganda. It drove the aliens further into hiding and on the occasion where someone was outed as an alien, it was often unwillingly. Lena wasn’t sure which was true and which was not yet knowing who her brother had became after his rise as Luthor Corp’s CEO, she knew to take everything with a grain of salt. 

Soon after his incarceration and the dismantling of his anti-alien organization, Lena came to National City. Determined to save the company that her father built, she reworked everything from the ground up. Rebranded the company with the name L-Corp. Just enough connection to the Luthor name yet not as glaring as before. 

Lena was a businesswoman. She knew that public appearance was as important as the work behind the scenes. She did everything she could to distance the company from its imprisoned former CEO, including holding a fundraising gala dedicated to rebuilding the city. 

As she observed her surroundings she found it difficult to imagine that a mere few months ago National City had been in one of its biggest crisis of all time. People howled in laughter as they enjoyed themselves and the luxury that they could afford. She supposed it had always been this way. 

The movement of the people around her blurred to the side as the woman standing beside the refreshment table took her attention. Her golden hair dazzled by the beaming lighting, her slim figure yet minimalistic style exudes a subtle beauty. She seemed out of place, uncomfortable as she constantly fidgeted with her glasses hiding her crystal blue eyes.

“She’s cute.” Pulled out of her reverie, Lena jumped and looked behind her to the familiar face of her assistant and the one friend she had in National City, Jessica Huang. 

“Who is?”

Jess pointed at the blonde that whipped her head left and right looking like the very definition of a lost puppy. “She’s your type.”

Lena laughed, “I don’t have a type.”

“Yes you do, everyone does.”

Lena rolled her eyes and raised her glass to her lips.

Jess bumped her shoulder, “You should go talk to her.”

“Now now, why’re you so suddenly interested in my love life?” Lena asked.

Jess shrugged, “Well someone has to. I don’t see you doing anything about it.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Ah, the century-old excuse.”

Lena crossed her arms, balancing the glass of champagne in her hand, “I can have you fired, you know.”

“You can, and then you’ll realize you need me. Just go and talk to her, you’ve talked to everyone.” 

Jess pushed her subtly to the direction of the refreshment table and stopped only when Lena glared, “Fine, I’ll go, shoo.”

Jess held out both of her arms in surrender as she walked away.

Lena strutted in the direction of the lost puppy. She was looking the other way and Lena tapped her shoulder. 

“Looking for someone?”

The blonde whipped her head round in Lena’s direction before her eyes widened and her head came up yet again to fix her glasses. A nervous tic, perhaps.

“Ah, no, I, uh, I don’t know anyone, to be honest.” 

Lena held out her hand, “I’m Lena, Lena Luthor.”

The woman took her hand gingerly, “Ah yes, I know who you are Ms. Luthor, Kara Danvers.”

Lena shook her head, “Please, just Lena is fine Ms. Danvers.”

She giggled, “Oh, well, if I’m calling you Lena, then-”

Lena chuckled, “Kara it is. Not used to this whole affair, I assume?”

“I’ve been to a couple of these. Ms. Grant would take me sometimes. I don’t get better at it though.” 

“Ms. Grant? Cat Grant?”

Kara nodded, “The one and only. I used to be her assistant.”

“What do you do now?”

“I’m a reporter. For CatCo magazine. I, uh, actually would like to do a piece about you, if you don’t mind.”

Lena raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Should I be worried? I had the impression Ms. Grant didn’t like me very much.”

Kara laughed, “She’s like that with everyone. Ms. Grant will never say this out loud but I think she actually admires you. She has a soft spot for women in power and as far as she’s concerned you’re the second most powerful woman in National City.”

“Second?”

“After herself, of course.”

Lena chuckled, “Of course.”

“Besides, you brew quite a storm with your press conference the other day. Not many people expected you to make such a daring statement.”

“What? Saying that it’s possible for humans and aliens to live together in peace? It’s not that far-fetched.” Lena shrugged.

“Well, your brother had been the face of the company for years and he’s infamous for his anti-alien views. You understand if it gave some people whiplash.”

“My brother and I may share the same last name but we’re the exact opposite when it comes to principle. As far as I know, humans and aliens had been living together in peace before we even knew they exist. We just didn’t realize it. We fear them because we don’t know them yet we make no attempts to understand, to empathize. Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct answer. Maybe both aliens and humans just need to give the other a chance and communicate.”

Kara seemed surprised at her slight outburst. She was silent and Lena wondered if she’d gone too far. 

Kara’s lips slowly quirked upwards, “That’s… admirable Lena. I-”

They were interrupted with Jess taking Lena’s attention away as she reminded her of her arranged meeting with one of her business partners and announced his arrival.

Lena turned back to Kara with an apologetic look, “Sorry, I need to cut our conversation short.”

Kara waved her away, “No worries.”

“So, about that piece you’re working on, how about we discuss it first, tomorrow? Over lunch?”

Kara stammered, “Lunch? With you?”

“Yes.” Lena replied.

“I, uh, I’d love to.” Kara dug around in her purse before producing a small white paper, “Here, my card.”

Lena took the card Kara held out to her and felt her inability to contain her broad smile, “I’ll see you around Kara Danvers.”

 

—

 

“Heading home Ms. Luthor?”

Lena turned and nodded at her security guard, “Take care of yourself, Gorden.”

“You too Ms. Luthor, have a good night.”

Her car was waiting in front of the lobby and her driver pulled the door open, “Thank you, Donovan.”

“My pleasure, Ms. Luthor.”

Donovan closed the door and went over the driver’s side. He started the car and pulled onto the road. It had been a few weeks since the gala. Lena kept to her word and invited Kara to lunch at the café just two blocks from her company. At first, they talked about business and about the interview, Kara asked all the usual questions with most of it surrounding her takeover of L-Corp and the scandal surrounding her brother as well as her resume. Kara asked for a silly childhood story and Lena told her about the time she ran away from home in a tantrum when she was 7, only afterward realizing she had no idea what she was doing but couldn’t get home because she was lost. Lex found her on the side of the road in tears, only a couple of blocks from their house. Lena had asked Kara why she wanted such a story and Kara said that it helped her audience empathize with Lena as a human being instead of an unreachable figure. From that point on it became less of an interview and more of a conversation.

Little did Lena knew at the time, that lunch date was only the first of many. They met again a couple of times after that, talking about everything and nothing. Jess always greeted her with a sly smile every time she came back into the office after meeting Kara. Sometimes Kara would come to get her from the office, leading Lena to allow her unrestricted access. Honestly, out of all the places Lena expected to meet a person that may very well be her second friend in National City, a gala was certainly not one. Lena had hosted a few, attended many, to know that despite the supposed nobility of the event, the people in her circles were usually anything but. There were always hidden agendas and Lena knew to be careful of the people around her. She certainly didn’t expect to befriend someone she met there and a reporter to boot.

As her car pulled into the highway Lena sat back and enjoyed the calm and smooth journey. During the times when the road was relatively clear she could sit back and simply, relax. She learned early on to appreciate the quiet little moments like this.

“Um… Ms. Luthor?”

“Yes, Donovan?”

Lena caught his eye in the rear-view mirror, “I uh… can’t brake.”

Lena’s eyes widened, “What?!”

“The brake’s not working! It was just fine before.”, he exclaimed.

Lena leaned forward between the front seats, “Can’t you use the handbrake?”

“It’s electric Ms. Luthor, and at this speed, the car will flip before we even slow down.”

Lena saw a flash in the corner of her eye and looked to the front, “Look out!”

Donovan swerved the car to the right, missing the car in front of them by mere inches throwing Lena backward against the seat.

Lena righted herself and reminded herself to stay calm, “Okay, the car will slow down eventually, try to keep the car as steady as you can and-” Lena trailed off as she recognized the familiar pattern of red lights side by side in the distance. _Traffic_.

“Oh dear.” Donovan murmured.

Lena racked her brain for something as the traffic came closer and closer. A loud thud then sounded behind them and Lena felt the law of physics propelled her forward as her car came to a sudden halt. She silently thanked Lex’s insistency instilled into her. _Always wear your seatbelt_. Lena twisted her body and saw a figure with their hands on top of her car’s trunk. As the figure looked up, their features illuminated by the roadway light, Lena came face to face with familiar blue eyes. She heard about this but never really knew what it was like. People talked about these moments, times when you felt like the world was frozen and nothing else mattered, yet in the real world, it had only been a few short seconds. Then, in a sudden blink of an eye, she was gone.  

 

\---

 

Rupert Caldwell cursed the heavens as another piece of fruit fell down from his overflowing grocery bag. He picked it up and walked briskly across the deserted parking lot. The chilly night air accompanied his journey as he marched to his car illuminated by the few lighting available. He scrambled for his car keys, balancing his bag, careful not to let yet another piece of cuisine fall down. Opening the trunk he placed the bag gingerly before walking over to the driver’s side door and getting in. He raised his hand and looked at his watch, it was late, his wife was going to kill him. 

Resigned to his fate, he inserted his key into the ignition and turned. The familiar sound of the engine came and went as his car refused to start. He tried again to no avail. “Just my luck.”

He grabbed the handle and pushed the door open and went over to the front, popping the hood. Reaching for his phone in his pocket he switched on the phone’s flashlight. As he directed the light towards the engine he heard the clicking sound of footsteps, turning around towards the sound he could barely see anything before everything went black.

 

—

 

“Another one?” Kara Danvers asked as she poured orange juice for her friend seated on the counter.

Winn Schott nodded,  “Yep. They found him last night in a parking lot. Bludgeoned to death. I don’t think the cops made the connection yet though.”

“So someone’s been going around killing Lex’s supporters. For what? Revenge?”

Winn shrugged as he dug into his meal, “Maybe.”

“You think the murderer was one of us?” Kara asked.

“If he was he’d be a stupid asshole. Thanks to Lex, people were actually starting to think all of his anti-alien bullshit was toxic. Now, people are going right back to ‘aliens are dangerous’ and ‘look what they’ve done’.” Winn replied, hands reaching for his glass of orange juice before taking a big gulp.

Kara considered that information as she watched him devour his breakfast. A series of murders, all seemingly random, men and women, young and old, with nothing but one connection: All victims had been public supporters of Lex Luthor. Was someone making a statement? Or maybe it was a simple vengeance story? Despite his ‘humans first’ philosophy, he was never picky about the race that he hurt, he just made sure those ‘humans collateral damage’ never comes to light. 

Kara thought that everything would begin to calm down after Lex’s incarceration. Like all things in the world, people seemed to have a short attention span. The loss of Lex’s constant anti-alien propaganda had reduced the animosity a little bit. Despite the constant wary feeling she still had Kara felt like she could breathe again. That maybe, this time she could have a good life, away from the perpetual looking behind her to see if this would be the day they took her away to some unknown facility in the middle of the Pacific. She supposed it was too soon, it had only been months, but it made her wonder, what if this was all there is? What if she would never be able to find her place in the world? How far would she need to go to find it? Would she need to leave Alex? Winn? Lena?

Lena Luthor. The last person she expected to be the one to greet her that night. Kara had been trying to gauge her, to see if she was who they say she was. Kara’s attempts were futile when the slight quirk of Lena’s lips, the split second eyebrow raise she seemed to be fond of, her tight black dress that brought all of her best features to the forefront of Kara’s mind was the only thing Kara could think of. Before she knew it, she had a lunch date with the one and only Lena Luthor.

Lena had been the first person she opened up to in a while. Years of living in fear drove Kara to be vigilant and attentive of which people she let close. Lex had connections, everywhere. Kara had to admit that maybe she should’ve been more careful in divulging too much information to his sister yet there was something about Lena, like she could look at you and you couldn’t help but tell her everything, well _almost everything_ , Kara would like to think she still had more self-restraint than that. Still, if Alex knew, she would be appalled. Scratch that, she would probably kill Kara before anyone else had a chance, especially after what happened yesterday.

A series of banging sounds from her door took her attention. Winn and Kara shared a look before she pulled down her glasses to see who it was. _Speak of the devil._ Kara strode to the door, turning the key before she jerked the door open.

“Lena! What are you-”

“You’re an alien!” Lena loudly whispered.

Kara’s eyes widened, she pulled Lena gently inside, closed the door and regarded her surprise guest. “What are you talking about?” 

Instead of looking at her Lena was staring at her companion before he gave her a timid wave and said in greeting, “Hi, Winn Schott.”

Kara felt a sudden need to explain herself which if she had another second to think about it she would’ve said it was silly, “He’s my friend.”

Lena glimpsed at Kara before giving Winn her full attention, “Hello, Lena Luthor.”

Kara gave Winn a wide-eyed look and he, bless his soul, took the hint and gathered his belongings, “I was just leaving. Nice to meet you though Ms. Luthor!”

He scurried past them and with a soft click behind him, leaving them alone. Kara glanced at Lena and saw that she hadn’t moved an inch. “Are you okay? I heard about what happened.”

Lena finally turned to her and crossed her arms, “You would know, you were there.”

Kara stammered, “What, I, what, no, I was here, writing.”

Lena gave her an mm-hmm which made Kara very, very uncomfortable. Finally, Lena asked, “Can I have a drink?”

Kara blinked, that… wasn’t what she expected, “Yeah, sure, uh, have a seat, I’ll get you some.”

Kara walked over to her small kitchen and rummaged in her cabinet, “I don’t have much, how about-” Kara trailed off when she felt a pressure hit her back. She pivoted to look behind her and saw a most peculiar sight. Lena Luthor, carrying what looked to be the remains of her kitchen stool. “Did you… just hit me with a stool?”

“You _are_ an alien!” Lena exclaimed.

“Never mind that! You just hit me with my stool!”

Lena dropped the piece of wood in her hand, “I figured if you were strong enough to stop a car you can take a flimsy wooden chair.”

Kara raised both her hands to her hips, “Excuse me, my chair is not flimsy. Also, what if I’m not? I could’ve been hurt!”

Lena’s eyebrow quirked, “So you’re admitting you’re an alien?”

Silence.

One.

Two.

_Shit._

Lena sighed, “I know it was you, Kara.” Lena stepped closer and carefully took Kara’s glasses off, “I’d recognize those eyes anywhere.”

 

—

 

They were seated on her couch, Kara’s glasses on the coffee table escorted by their drinks. The low volume of the television broadcasting the news provided a small relief from the otherwise heavy silence. Kara couldn’t find the courage to properly look at Lena yet peeking at her a couple of times, Kara knew Lena never once took her eyes away from her.

Years she had kept her identity safe. For years, only a handful of people knew about her identity and even then they knew because Kara was the one revealing it. She couldn’t believe that the person sitting next to her ended up being her Achilles’ heel. 

Kara cleared her throat, “So… what do you want to know?”

Lena rested her head on her hand leaning against the back of the couch, “Just tell me about yourself, Kara.”

Kara gathered what little courage she had and chanced a proper look at the raven-haired woman beside her. For a moment, she considered lying yet somehow she had a feeling that particular road wouldn’t fly well. Before she knew it, Kara took a deep breath and started talking.

She told her about Krypton and its eventual demise. How her parents sent her away in order to protect and take care of her cousin. How she was raised by the Danvers and given their family name. How there was no sign of Kal-El’s pod. How she hid her powers, even during Lex’s reign, because they told her that showing her powers during such tumultuous times would only scare people more, especially since there were few aliens as powerful as she was. _Who’re they?_ Lena would ask. _My friends,_ Kara told her. 

As she told her story there were times when her voice would get shaky, her breath ragged, and Lena would simply hold her hand. Not really grabbing it, just, placing hers over Kara’s. The comfort was enough to keep her going. There was a continuous thought in the back of her brain telling her _Stop! What are you doing?!_ But she was just glad, that maybe this will be the beginning, of humans and aliens living together in harmony, like Lena said.

As she finished, she leaned forward to take another sip from her glass only to realize it was empty. She went into the kitchen to refill both of their drinks and composed herself discreetly, fully aware of the silent woman on the couch only a few feet behind her. Sitting back down on the couch she studied Lena, her previous fear washed away by the understanding and compassion she saw in Lena’s eyes for the whole duration of her story.

Her voice was small when she asked, “Do you hate me?”

Lena’s eyes widened, “What? No! Why would you say that?” 

“Because I’m an alien.” Kara replied.

Lena’s eyes were soft, a small smile gracing her lips as she took Kara’s hand, “Kara, you saved my life, alien or not. That isn’t something I can just forget. Thank you for telling me the truth.”

Kara huffed out a laugh, “You did hit me with a stool for it.”

Lena had the decency to look guilty at that, “Sorry… It was the best idea I had at the time.”

“Thank you… Lena. You have no idea what this means to me.”

Lena said nothing and instead pulled her into a hug, the smell of vanilla and ambergris filled her senses and she burrowed herself to the crook of Lena’s neck. Kara couldn’t remember when the last time was when she had something like this with someone other than her sister or her best friend, it made her feel… human.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“You did what?!” Alex shouted as she paced the living room she and Kara were currently in. Kara winced from her position on the couch and rubbed her ear, the action only seemed to anger Alex even more.

“Need I remind you what her brother liked to do to people like you, Kara? The whole reason why we did what we did was precisely to prevent something like this from happening! Why would you-”

“I trust her.” Kara’s voice was firm despite the trepidation that always came with being the brunt of her sister’s anger. 

Alex seemed surprised by the certainty in the voice she heard. She scowled at Kara, breathing as if she just ran a marathon before she got here, hands on her side held in a tight fist. Kara was adamant, her back straight as she crossed her arms and leveled her sister’s stare.

“She’s a Luthor.” Alex gritted.

“I know, I heard you the first time.” Kara replied. 

The silence was near deafening as neither of them spoke another word. Seeds of doubt would’ve usually been planted in Kara if it were any other situation. A reaction of seeing her’s reception towards the fact that she revealed her identity to Lex Luthor’s sister and also caused a little commotion in the highway. She considered herself lucky, she supposed, the lack of public attention over what happened yesterday saved her from a situation she didn’t want to think about.

Kara was the first to break the heavy silence, “I know who her brother is, I know what her company was, and I know all-too-well about her family’s history, but Lena isn’t like Lex. If we consider that the whole Luthor clan hates aliens then she’s barely a Luthor.” Her vision blurred and she took off her glasses, fiddling it with her two hands as she used the action to break the eye-contact, “I can’t explain it Alex but I know I can trust her, I know she’s not like them.”

Kara felt the dip beside her before she was cocooned in the familiar safety of her sister’s arms. “Kara… I know you believe that, I really do. But trusting a Luthor? After what we went through? We can’t just forget what happened.” Alex’s hand moved to stroke Kara’s head, like she always did ever since they were children, “Only thing I want is for you to be safe. You know that right?” 

Kara nodded.

“There’s nothing that I can say to change your mind is there?” Alex asked.

Kara shook her head.

Alex sighed, a heavy sigh that always came before she caves, “Then just… be careful, Kara. _Please_. I can’t handle losing anyone else, especially you.”

Kara knew that. God, she knew more than anyone else just how much Alex had lost over the years. Kara was pretty sure one of the only reason she made it out of Lex’s reign alive was because of the people she surrounded herself with, her sister being the most influential part. If she let her head take over she was sure that she was treading on thin ice consorting herself with one of the supposed ‘enemies’ of her kind. If _they_ knew they would’ve thrown a fit. 

The thought came suddenly. The probable reason of why she just couldn’t keep her mind and body away from one Lena Luthor. She expected it to happen differently than it did. Maybe when she saw her, walking into the cafe for one of their meet-ups. Her head would whip left and right looking for Kara,  and when she found her, her lips would slowly rise until a grin couldn’t be contained as she traipsed in her suit and high heels. Kara would stand to greet her and they’d talk. Just talk. It was always the highlight of her day.

“Alex? Can I tell you something else?” The voice that came out of Kara was so quiet she was surprised Alex could hear it without super-hearing.

“Anything Kar.”

“I think I like her.”

Alex’s hand stopped its motion.

 

—

 

_Kara Danvers saved my life._ The line raced continuously in Lena despite her already being given the reason with what was practically Kara’s autobiography. Lena would admit she wasn’t exactly an alien expert, choosing to distance herself from that world ever since her brother’s obsession began but still, sweet, adorable Kara Danvers as one of the most powerful people she had ever met? The juxtaposition baffled her.

Lena went home in the afternoon after she swore that she would keep what happened between the two of them. That whatever Kara may be, it didn’t have to change anything, they could go on as they did before. Lena still believed that, and Kara’s facial expression after she said it confirmed that she made the right choice. 

_You’re too naive._ Lex would say. _There’s evil in this world, powerful evil, that you can’t even begin to imagine._ Lena wondered if Lex was that to Kara just as aliens were to Lex.

The knock came as the moon shone brightly through the large ceiling-to-floor windows in her penthouse. Lena went to the peephole carefully as she was sure she didn’t buzz anyone up. She saw a gold badge held in front of it and recognized the familiar crest of the National City Police Department. She creaked open the door leaving the slide bolt latched and peeked at her guest.

“Miss Luthor?” The dark-haired woman asked as she returned her badge to its place on her hips. She wore a dark leather jacket with an aqua shirt underneath. Lena shifted her gaze down and saw the gun and badge strapped to the belt on her jeans.

“Yes?”

“Detective Sawyer. May I come in? I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Lena frowned before she closed and unlatched the door, opening it and welcoming the detective before leading the way to her sitting room. They sat on the opposite side and without any preamble, the detective began speaking.

“What’s your relation to Jessica Huang, Ms. Luthor?” The detective asked.

“She’s my P.A. and a friend.”

**“** We received a call earlier, I’m sorry to tell you this Ms. Luthor but I’m afraid Ms. Huang was found dead this afternoon.”

Lena could see the detective’s mouth moving yet she heard nothing more. The detective’s words repeated in her head like the broken vinyl record her father insisted on keeping in his office. She swallowed and gripped the couch so hard as if by the power of sheer will the detective will come out and say that this was in fact all an elaborate and unfunny prank. 

_Dead._

_Dead._

_Dead._

“…Ms. Luthor? Are you okay?” Lena finally noticed that the detective probably had been trying to get her attention for a while. 

“What happened?” Lena croaked.

“We’re still attempting to figure that out, Ms. Luthor. Ms. Huang doesn’t seem to have any immediate relative nearby, and you’re listed as her emergency contact. It’s why we came to you.” 

“Her parents live overseas.” She was their pride and joy, managing to achieve a scholarship to continue her study in the U.S., acquiring her visa and hired by a bonafide company. Jess showed her their family picture once, at the time Lena felt happy for her friend yet a little bit sad, knowing she might never have the relationship Jess had with her family. 

The rest of the conversation went like a blur. Detective Sawyer asked her questions, she answered. With condolences, the detective went on her way leaving Lena alone. The walls felt like it was closing in around her. Before she knew it, Lena grabbed her keys and was out the door.

 

—

Kara was asleep when yet another series of banging sounds interrupted her slumber. She blinked to sway the bleary haze away before more loud bangs attempted to speed up the process. Kara padded to her front door after checking who it was this late at night. She pulled the door open and the sight in front of her made her pause. Lena was standing in front of her, wearing an MIT grey sweatshirt with matching sweatpants, her hair flowing down haphazardly with red-rimmed eyes as sweat drenched her clothing and slipped down her perfectly-shaped brow. Before Kara even had the chance to utter a word, Lena took the step forward and held her in a tight grip. Kara returned the embrace as the wrenching sound of Lena’s sob broke through her heart. 

Kara stood there holding Lena for what felt like forever. Her mind raced attempting to find ways to fix this. Alex would say that was her problem, always trying to fix things. _What should I do then?_ Kara had asked once. _Stuff them with alcohol,_ Alex said. Kara wasn’t sure then how much of a good idea that was and she still wasn’t sure now. She settled for comforting shushes as she closed the door and gently led Lena towards the couch. Her sobs had slowed to hiccups and Kara kept her arms around her slowly moving her hand up and down in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. She debated when the right time was to broach the reason for Lena’s sudden meltdown when Lena saved her from constant indecision,

“She’s dead.” Lena whispered, a shiver went through her and Kara moved to hold her tighter, transferring some of her Kryptonian heat, though she suspected this had nothing to do with the cold. 

“I’m sorry, Lena.” Her answer came almost autonomously, having heard the phrase far too many times than she’d liked.

Lena told her about the visit from the detective, told her what the cops said they knew at the moment, told her about her assistant and best friend. Kara simply held Lena and listened. 

Lena spent the night. Kara gallantly offered to take the couch and from Lena’s facial expression she could tell there was no way Lena would’ve allowed her to give up her bed. They were silent as they laid there in the dark of the bedroom. Kara periodically looked to her right and wished that one of her super-powers included night vision as she would’ve loved to gauge the condition of the woman beside her. It was a blessing in disguise though as despite the situation that Lena was currently in, Kara’s hormones refused to let her rest and forget the ridiculously stunning woman currently laying only a short distance from her. Her body laid rigid before she felt Lena took her hand in what she assumed was a way of comforting herself. Kara closed her eyes and count from a hundred, willing her body to rest.

 

—

 

“You’re up early.”

Kara looked behind her and gawked at the sight in front of her. She figured that Lena must’ve drunk the blood of seven virgins every night to look as good as she did having just woken up from a late night. Kara snapped herself out of her stupor and focused on the pancakes she was making.

“I’m an early riser.” Kara replied, leaving the fact that while she was an early riser, it wasn’t the case this time as the mere presence of the raven-haired woman behind her prevented her from leaving to the palace of dreams. “Breakfast?”

Lena answered with a hum and Kara busied herself with breakfast preparation, glancing once in a while at the woman that seemed so far away from her in that moment. Lena was silent as she sat on the counter and Kara could tell she was watching her, she wasn’t sure if she actually was intently studying her or if her mind was somewhere else.

“Sorry for dropping in unannounced like that.” Lena said.

Kara finished plating and looked behind her, “It’s okay, I’m glad you came to me.”

“You are?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

Kara paused. That was… a good question. A question where her answer lied on the precipice of her mind, quietly slithering its way through, yet Kara wasn’t sure if her answer was appropriate to the situation. 

Kara put the plates down on the counter where Lena sat, “Means you trust me, I appreciate that. Want some orange juice with these?”

Lena nodded and as Kara went to the fridge and filled two glasses with orange juice. Sitting beside Lena, she could tell her attempt at directing the conversation away didn’t quite go as she’d liked. Lena didn’t push, and she was glad. Maybe. 

“It’s weird isn’t it?”

Kara swallowed the food in her mouth before asking, “What is?”

“How things change so quickly. Everything that’s happened the last few months, I feel like the universe has made it its mission to blindside me on every corner, you know? I can’t stop thinking about her, what was the last word I said to her? was she happy? When I saw her last, everything seemed so normal, so mundane, and then suddenly it gets turned upside down. ”

Kara took a chance and placed her hand on Lena’s shoulder, Lena looked at her with an expression she couldn’t quite decipher, or maybe wasn’t sure if she wanted to, “Someone once told me that when you lose someone, it’s easy to drown yourself in the what-ifs, the regrets. She told me that we should let them go, move on, remember the good memories, but in my experience, that’s easier said than done.” Kara paused before continuing, “I’m not saying everything’s gonna be okay, but I’m here if you need me, always.” 

Lena placed her hand over Kara’s before she leaned over, closer and closer, and Kara felt herself closing her eyes instinctively as the softness of Lena’s lips covered hers. It felt like the world stopped rotating, the chaotic noise of traffic outside dimming slowly until there was only Lena. Lena moving her mouth against her, tenderly, with Kara reciprocating in kind. She felt Lena’s hands moved to cup her cheek as Kara’s moved to steady her. Kara put her brain on overdrive to take in everything. 

Lena’s smell. 

Lena’s taste.

Lena’s touch. 

All too soon, Lena pulled back and Kara saw her with a look she’d never seen before, or perhaps never realized, or refused to see. 

“Thank you, Kara.” Lena whispered.

 

—

 

“So… You kissed?” Winn asked.

Kara widened her eyes, “Keep your voice down!” she harshly whispered.

Winn frowned and made a show of looking around him at the nearly empty bar save from the dark-haired man sitting in the corner drowning himself in alcohol. “Kissing a girl isn’t a crime, Kar.”

Kara only buried herself in her hands as an answer.

“Okay… So you’re panicking.”

Kara said nothing.

“… Alex not on board then?”

Kara gave him a glare that said, _what do you think, genius?!_

Winn snorted, then his shoulders started to shake before he was laughing, a full-blown laugh. Kara slapped his hand and he responded with an _ow_ and tried to pull himself together.

“So, Lena Luthor, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Kara’s answering shrug was enough for him to guess that things probably weren’t going as she had hoped.

“What’s wrong?”

Kara sighed, “I’m not sure where we stand. I mean, yeah we kissed but she was grieving for her friend. Now, I’m too scared to ask ‘cause what if she needs time? I don’t want to add this on top of everything on her plate right now, Rao she was almost in an accident just a few days ago.”

Winn observed his best friend in front of him. Kara was good at many things but relationships were never one of them. He gave a soft chuckle, “I don’t know Lena Luthor all that well, but if she’s as smart as you said, she’d be stupid to not like you Kar.”

“You don’t have a problem with her being a Luthor?” Kara murmured.

Winn shook his head. “I know what it’s like to share a name with a  known terrorist.” Winn paused to take a sip from his beer, “Don’t think about it too much. Ask her when you think she’s ready but otherwise just enjoy it, life’s too short for you to fret about everything.”

Finally, the crinkle of her eyebrows lessened and the slight upturn of her lips told him just how much she needed that, “Thanks.” She said. Yet the look on her face stayed.

“Something else bothering you?”

Kara imperceptibility nodded, “You ever have that feeling like you recognize something but you can’t put your finger as to how?” Kara paused and at Winn’s nod she continued, “Lena’s friend, Jessica Huang. When she mentioned her, I-” 

Winn’s breath caught and Kara’s brows knitted as she picked up on it almost immediately.

“You know something.” Kara declared.

Jessica Huang, it couldn’t be. But then again how many Jessica Huang there were that worked there. Winn gulped, “Kar, she was my contact at Luthor Corp.”

“What?!” Kara hissed.

Winn stuttered, “I needed a way to get into their systems, inside job was the only way we could get in without them knowing. All I needed was one plug and we were set for life.” Winn paused as a thought slipped to him, “you don’t think…” Winn trailed off and he saw Kara thinking the same thing he did.

Kara shook her head, “It’s too early to tell. If it’s us they’re after why not go after the others? Why her?”

“Unless the intention was to silence the mole.” Winn supplied.

“Lena won’t do that.” Kara rebuked.

“There are plenty of people in L-Corp other than Lena.” Kara drummed her fingers, deep in thought. “What you thinking?”

“Lena’s accident. Maybe it wasn’t an accident.” Kara wondered.

“You think she was targeted?”

“Maybe.”

“She’s high-profile though. Jessica Huang’s one thing but she was near anonymous in the public eye, bless her soul.” Winn crossed himself.

“How well do you know her?” Kara asked.

“Huang? Not that well. We weren’t friends Kar. You know how it was, keep every contact to a minimum, say only what you need, tell only what you need, know only what you need. They gave me her name and that was that.”

Kara grumbled incomprehensibly and dropped her head back down on the table, the force was enough to rattle the table and Winn looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. Lucky for them the lone man was still happily drunk in his own little world and the bartender seemed to take this as a usual occurrence. 

Kara mumbled something he couldn’t catch, “What was that?”

She raised her head and repeated herself, “I’m worried about her.”

Winn took a moment to consider his offer but one look at Kara and he knew he would try anything if he thought it could help, “I can try to hack into L-Corp. See if it is someone from inside. We know from experience we can’t rely on the cops when it comes to something like this.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

Winn scoffed, “I’ve had my way in since forever and they haven’t got a clue. If there’s something there, I’ll find it.”

Kara looked unsure.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

 

—

 

Winn didn’t know what he was doing. He prided himself on being one of the best, if not _the_ best hacker in National City. That was why they reached out to him, knowing his fondness for a certain blonde-haired alien. It was this exact over-confidence that led to him walking briskly almost to the point of jogging to Kara’s apartment as he apparently had underestimated L-Corp under the leadership of one Lena Luthor. 

Winn knocked loudly on the door in his haste and tapped his foot as he heard the faint _come in_ and realized the door was unlocked. He frowned and made a mental note to remind Kara of the dangers of leaving an apartment unlocked when he entered and recognized the reason behind it.

The reason was standing in front of him.

Wearing a skirt with a shirt and blazer that he was sure would cost everything he had.

The reason was currently taking subtle deep breaths in what he thought was an attempt at containing her rage. Kara, the poor soul was looking at her, then at him, then back at her, and back at him before what he said yesterday finally came to her mind and her mouth gaped.

Winn waved, his signature over-the-top wave that made Kara face-palmed behind Lena. “Kara! Ha, you have company. You know what, this can wait, you ladies enjoy your time, I’m just gonna go. See you tomorrow!” 

He turned on his heels before a soft yet firm voice stopped him in his tracks, “Mr. Schott, stay.” 

He slowly pivoted and wondered how it was that someone can talk in such a calm manner with such an authority that he did exactly as she asked. He thought he just witnessed what it was that made Lena Luthor a CEO of a company at a young age.

“I’ll be direct. Did you or did you not attempted to break into L-Corp’s system?” Lena crossed her arms. Despite the volume of her voice never rising the glare stayed, and Winn wished the earth would swallow him whole as it went on.

He laughed awkwardly, “What? No, of course not, why would-”

“The truth please, Mr. Schott.”

Silence.

He gulped. “Yes.”

“Why?”

He looked to Kara for help and realized his mistake a second too late as Lena shifted her attention to the blonde woman behind her. Kara, caught off guard, leaned back almost instinctively at the glare now directed at her.

“Kara?”

Kara had the expression of what could only be described as a deer in the headlights. She stammered for an explanation before relenting, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Winn had known Kara long enough to know what that meant. Kara gave him a soft smile and asked, “Winn, can you give us a moment?”

Winn mutely nodded and turned on his heel. With a soft click of the door, he hoped he didn’t just ruin Kara’s love life, or worse.

 

—

 

Kara stared at Winn’s retreating back before turning all of her attention to the woman in front of her. “I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t owe me anything, but I’d love one, yes.”

“It’s gonna be a long story.”

“I have time.”

Kara tilted her head towards the direction of the couch and made her way over. She heard the soft clicking of heels as she sagged onto the plush couch. Lena gingerly took a seat beside her and Kara took note of the distance that was now between them. She took a deep breath and began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One line of dialogue taken from 'Wynonna Earp' so credits to their writers and Emily Andras for my favorite line in a tv show of all time.


	3. Chapter 3

When they gave Kara the name of the person responsible for the deaths of her adoptive parents, by way of James, Kara had thought that it was too easy, too obvious, too convenient. She voiced this thought to James and his answer was a shrug and that everything was in the files. He allowed her to take it home, and she spent all night pouring through every information in the files and as they said it all came back to one man.

Lex Luthor.

With each page she turned, it occurred to her just how little she knew of the world, and how little she knew of her parents. Apparently, Lex didn’t take kindly to the knowledge that one of his staff might be an alien sympathizer, especially when they’re a part of a small team with sensitive information. Like a piece of a chess board, he had them removed. They weren’t sure just how much Lex knew but seeing that Kara was alive and well for all these years it was a safe bet that he didn’t know they were actually harboring an alien in their home. 

Kara stared at the picture in her hands. A middle-aged local man with greying hair, average build, average face, average job, walking down the sidewalk with groceries on his hand. His address was listed only a mere few blocks from her home. Kara couldn’t imagine this person, perfectly normal person be responsible for one of the worst moments of her life. He didn’t even make the suspects list. She felt the darkness took over and made her arrangements back home. 

He needed the money, he said. He was desperate, he said. He made sure they didn’t suffer, he said. Kara scoffed, as if somehow that knowledge would’ve made her feel better. Nothing could’ve brought them back. She couldn’t turn back time and undo what he did, but she could make sure he paid for what he did.

James reached out to her again a week later. Told her they knew what she did, but more importantly, they knew what she was capable of. He told her a whole story, of how her story was a representation of what was happening to hundreds of people out there. Aliens and humans alike. It was easy for people to pretend it wasn’t happening, Lex counted on it. The human denial was a curious concept. Humans would rather live in blissful ignorance  for a few moments longer rather than accept that their lives as they knew it were ending and fight for their rights. National City was only the beginning.

_Will you help us?_ He asked.

Kara didn’t think twice before saying yes.

She and Alex had their worst argument soon afterward. Kara couldn’t figure out what it was that made it their worst, there were too many possibilities. The fact that Kara didn’t tell her immediately, that Kara recklessly went over to confront a killer all on her own, that Kara decided to take matters into her own hands, that Kara just agreed to go against the most powerful man on National City with a penchant for killing aliens and their associated relatives? 

Kara figured it was probably all of the above.

They didn’t speak for a while. 

Kara went about her business like nothing’s happened. After all, that’s what they told her to do. _Live your life and wait, we’ll contact you when we need you,_ they said. It was a cloudy morning when she unlocked the cabinet on her desk where her files rested and she found the file that wasn’t there the previous night. She looked up and made eye contact with James for a split second before he continued his conversation with an intern. Kara discreetly slipped the file into her bag.

When Kara accepted, it was only later that she realized she might have just agreed to basically be an assassin for people she didn’t even know. That night though, as she perused through the file they gave her, she realized almost all of the things they made her do seemed harmless. She had sighed in relief. Later, Kara would realize how naive she had been. 

They were careful. Lex had the public perception in the palm of his hand. Any form of aggression would only be construed in a way so that it became proof of his claim that aliens were dangerous and they needed to be eradicated. They bided their time and dismantled his organization, one small piece at a time. It was only a matter of time before he made a mistake. That’s when they struck.

 

—

 

“When they put Lex away, we figured it was over. Most people I knew from those days went their separate ways. James moved to Metropolis, but Winn and I stayed here.” Kara paused, Lena’s face was blank, betraying nothing of what could be running inside her mind. Kara continued, “Winn knew her, Jess, I mean. Apparently she was our way in when the company was still Luthor Corp. I asked him to look into it, see if her connection to us was the reason of her murder. That’s why he tried to access your system.” Kara fiddled with the stray string on her slacks, “I wanted to tell you, but how do you tell someone you’re responsible for her brother being jailed?”

“I never thought you’d play a part in any of those.” Lena said softly.

Kara laughed humorlessly, “It would’ve been hard not to. The way things were in National City, it was bad.” Kara shut her eyes, “I did things Lena, bad things. It’s just, it’s something I’d prefer not to remember.”

“Or to admit.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“It is.”

“I understand if you need some time.”

“I do.”

Kara was silent. Unsure of what to say anymore. Her past was not something she revealed to anyone. The shame perhaps? It was easy to justify her actions when Lex was still in power, now? Most people didn’t seem to remember what the city was like, the past washed away. For most it was simply memories of headlines, conspiracy theories, but Kara lived it. She remembered. She felt. She took action.

“I should go.” Lena whispered. 

Kara gave her a soft smile and nodded. 

 

—

 

 

He splashed the cold water on his face. The dim lighting of the bathroom did nothing to hide the exhaustion his face conveyed. His eyes were tired, bloodshot red. The messy stubble he had was rough, his short brown hair seemingly the only living color that was there.

He went to the living room and picked up the crumpled pack of cigarettes on his coffee table. He pulled one and light it, taking a deep drag as was his routine before he left for his shift. Today was the day, he thought. The culmination of everything he worked so hard to achieve. 

As he looked back at the series of events as it happened, he couldn’t believe his luck. Perhaps this was divine intervention as his mom used to say. He was always a winger, the fact that he cooked up a scheme as elaborate as he did surprised him more than anyone. It always worked out for him in the end though, and this was no different. Never once in his life did he thought he could’ve had the chance to meet her after all of these years.  It must’ve been a sign, he thought. A sign that he was finally doing the right thing for once in his life. 

He went into the bedroom and got dressed, feeling like a soldier leaving for war as he buttoned up his uniform. Slipping his small revolver on his ankle holster, an addition to his usual get-up, he grabbed his keys and walked out the door. 

As he entered the building he took in the people bustling past him and wondered if any of them ever thought if this was their last day. What would they have done if they knew? There was always that moment, every time he looked into his victim’s eyes when they finally accepted what was going to happen to them. He wondered if _he_ had the same look all those years ago. 

He reached the top floor and walked towards the end of the hall where her office was. Taking in the empty desk in front of the door he figured she hadn’t looked for a permanent replacement. Good for him, not so much for her. He knocked and waited for her invitation before peeking inside, there she was behind her desk, as prim and proper as always. She gave him a smile as she always did. He almost felt bad, Lena Luthor was a good boss.

“How can I help you, Gorden?”

 

—

 

Gorden Padmore had a simple life and that was the way he liked it. Wake up, exercise, work his shift, come back home, have a nice dinner with his family, then go to bed. Living with his parents at his age wasn’t exactly ideal, but he didn’t have a choice with most of his earnings going into helping his dad paid off his debts. He had been a gambler, dad. His parents never told him exactly what happened, but basically, mom told dad to get his shit together otherwise she’d leave him, and it somehow worked. Didn’t make the debts he’d racked up magically disappear though. 

Their family wasn’t rich and for every penny they paid off it seemed to multiply. His dad’s debt was a part of them by the time Gorden graduated. He insisted on helping and his parents let him. He could see the look on his dad everytime though, _guilt_. Until one day during dinner when his dad excitedly told them that he got a job. An extra assignment with a huge bonus. It was enough for them to pay off the remaining debt. Now Gorden didn’t have to be pulled back anymore. It all seemed too good to be true, but for that moment, Gorden let his smile grew and joined his parents in celebration.

He’d never forget the moment when he opened the front door of his home and saw his dad lying down there in the hallway. The figure standing on top of him spun and looked at him in the eye, he blinked and she was gone. He rushed to his dad, lying motionless on the floor. 

He called his name, and called, and called. 

No answer. 

His vision was blurry with tears as he picked up his phone and called 911. There was nothing they could do. He held his mom as she broke down in his arms. It wasn’t until much later, as he watched one of Lex Luthor’s conference on his old tube TV, that he remembered the figure again.

Alien.

 

—

 

Gorden took a drag from his cigarette as he sat and watched the figure sitting peacefully in front of him with her eyes closed. It shouldn’t be long until she woke up. He looked around the empty warehouse, he still had another few hours until someone would come here. Plenty of time, he thought. 

She blinked her eyes and as she slowly came to be, her eyes widened as she remembered what happened and stared at him with his revolver. He simply watched as she tried to tug her hands from behind her back, realizing that it was tied to her chair. 

He tapped his cigarette, “I didn’t want to wake you, you look like you needed the rest.”

“Where are we?” Her voice was strained and he figured this might’ve been the closest he ever had been to seeing Lena Luthor rattled.

“We’re still in National City.” He lifted his cigarette into his mouth and took another drag. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Isn’t that what people always ask? Why are you doing this? Why me? Why did you kill my friend? The usual suspects.”

She swallowed, her whole body tensing as she recognized the implication behind his words, “Jess?”

He nodded, “Sorry about that.”

“Why?” She croaked.

“Why else? She connected the dots while you were too busy chasing your pretty blonde alien.”

She recoiled and he supposed this was why all of those villains on TV liked to have a monologue, this feeling of pure satisfaction.

He smiled, “Yes, Ms. Luthor, I know about your alien friend.” He let his smile fall, “She killed my father.” He snubbed his cigarette on the leg of his chair as he laughed humorlessly, “Imagine my surprise seeing her again, walking unassumingly into L-Corp but most importantly, leaving with you.” He crossed his legs and leaned back, “I wonder if she’ll save you again this time.”

He took in her reaction and there it was finally, _anger_. “You won’t get away with this. L-Corp has one of the best security systems in National City, they’ll be looking for you if they haven’t already.”

He nodded, “I’m betting on it. You see, Ms. Luthor, I’m under no impression that I can somehow kill your friend, after all, she did stop a moving car. But what I can do, is make her life a living hell, like she did with mine.” He paused, “People are already afraid, since some people, infamous for supporting anti-alien views have been suddenly murdered. I wonder what’ll happen when they find out an incredibly powerful alien have a tendency to play judge, jury, and executioner?” He took out a cigarette from his pack with his mouth, “Won’t be pretty, I’m sure.”.

As he held up the lighter to his cigarette, he saw the look of confusion replaced by a sudden recognition. _Smart girl_ , he thought. 

“You killed all those people.” She said.

“Yes. It was unfortunately necessary.”

“Just for revenge?”

He shrugged, “Hatred can make you do powerful things, as I’m sure you know.”

She shook her head, “They won’t link it back to her.”

“They will once they see the video of her saving you on that highway. She’ll be the only known alien. A powerful one too.”

Just then, a voice came out of nowhere. “Then I’ll make sure you never get it out.”

He twisted his body to look behind him. There she was. How long had she been there? Long enough, he supposed. He gave her a wry smile, “It’s already out there.” 


	4. Chapter 4

****Lena saw Kara stiffened before she disappeared in a blur. Then, she felt a tug on the rope binding her and her hands were free. She stood shakily before Kara’s hands came to steady her. She looked at her and saw Kara glaring at the seated man in front of them. Kara took her hand and marched both of them past Gorden and to the door, her grip gentle but firm. Lena looked behind her and saw that Gorden remained seated and was simply twisting his body as he looked them leave from his spot.

“Kara, he-”

“I know what he did.” Kara interrupted. “And I know what I did.”

A loud bang sounded behind them and as Lena craned her neck she saw it. 

Blood dripping. 

Body motionless. 

The revolver in his hand.

Lena didn’t realize she’d taken slow steps away from the door until Kara’s hand pulled her back. 

“Stay here.” Kara said. 

Kara walked slowly across the warehouse, back to where Gorden had been sitting, a stark contrast to her urgent movements mere moments before. Lena held her breath as Kara reached him. She couldn’t see him from this position but judging by Kara’s expression, her grim look and the way she closed her eyes slowly, taking deep breaths, told her all she needed to know.

Gordon Padmore just shot himself. 

Lena held her breath, slowly taking steps closer to Kara and by extension, _him_. The click of her heels echoed in the silence of the large room. Kara looked at her and held out her hand, walking back to her, meeting her halfway. The sounds of sirens rose from the distance.

“You should go.” Lena said. 

Kara frowned, “I’m not leaving you.”

Lena shook her head, “It won’t help matters if they find you here with me. If what he said is true… I can handle the cops. You need to get away, now.”

Kara seemed to want to protest some more but Lena saw that Kara realized she was right. 

Kara sighed, “I’ll be nearby. Until I know you’re safe.”

Lena knew that was the most she could get at this point and nodded. With a gust of wind she disappeared, the door rattling the only sign she’d been there in the first place. Lena heard the sounds of cops who at that point must’ve been right outside the warehouse and took a deep breath.

 

—

Lena shook the towel, drying her hair and picked up her phone from its position on her coffee table. She noted the time, an hour past midnight. She tapped her music app and the deep sound of Frank Sinatra crooned through the speakers of her living room’s entertainment system. Jess would raise her eyebrows everytime she heard Lena played this, saying how she’d never thought this was her type of music. She didn’t tell her that Frank’s songs were her father’s choice of music to sing to her every time she had the blues.

It took a while to convince the cops to let her leave. She supposed her constant reiteration of _I don’t know_ didn’t help. _He just shot himself_ , she said. She figured they attributed her reaction to shock and let her leave before making sure she wouldn’t leave town. It didn’t matter, she just needed to get away from there.

A knock sounded from her door. It took a second for her to realize that there shouldn’t be one, as no one had buzzed her for permission to come up. It took another for her to recognize the sound, the glass door of her balcony. She whipped around and saw Kara sheepishly holding her hand up, waving from her position on her balcony, asking for permission to come in. 

“Door’s unlocked.” Lena said, putting her phone and towel down on the couch. 

Kara entered and it wasn’t long before Lena was enveloped in one of the warmest hugs she ever felt, literally. She shivered and held Kara as if she was her lifeline. Breathing her in, trying not to think of what happened. Despite what Gorden told her, despite what Kara told her, she couldn’t help coming back to the exact same emotion when it came to Kara’s hugs.

Safety.

Comfort.

Home.

She wished it could be like this forever. That she could ignore everything and just forget. Kara seemed to want the same thing as they held each other longer than what was presumably acceptable. Her voice of reason came back, and she pulled back. Kara didn’t let go, choosing to keep her hands at her waist and Lena let her, herself leaving her hands on Kara’s shoulders and absent-mindedly rubbing the invisible dirt on her jacket. Looking at Kara, she saw that she was smiling. This soft, timid, half-smile that she did. She wondered if that was her defense mechanism. What she taught herself to do. That if she just smiled, somehow things would be okay. It didn’t take long for Lena to see through it, and she wondered if it’d taken anyone long to see through it.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked softly.

“All things considered, yeah.” 

“I’m sorry.”

Lena considered her question, “Was it true?”.

Kara busied herself by looking anywhere but Lena until she moved her hand to Kara’s cheek and held her gaze. Kara swallowed heavily, “Yes.”

“And the other thing?”

Kara moved her hand to her back pocket as she pulled out her phone. Lena watched her thumbs move across the screen before Kara held out her phone asking for Lena to take it. Watching it now, Lena saw what Gorden wanted her to see, wanted everyone to see.

The video was shaky, clearly filmed from a phone if its verticality was any indicator. Kara’s face was never clear but it was enough. Her figure captured at the exact moment of her appearance, almost as if the person recording it had been at the perfect time and the perfect place. She looked at the uploader and saw Gorden’s account, with his full name on display. It was short, and judging by the title she could see how it could easily be taken out of context.

_Crazy Powerful Alien Spotted on National City!_  

“He’s been active on the internet, chanting his anti-alien views and his support of Lex Luthor everywhere he could find.” Kara explained.

Lena wondered how she never knew. She always preferred to stay off social media and the internet in general, her venture mostly limited to things Jess gave her to look at. It reminded her just how little she knew of the people coming to the same building as she did every day.

“When the news comes out that he’s dead, especially after this video, all eyes are going straight back to aliens.” Kara’s voice broke at the end and she took deep breaths to compose herself. “To me.” A tear finally slipped through, “I just made everything worse, didn’t I? I wish I can take it back, Lena. I was angry… So, so angry. I just wanted someone to pay, I thought it would make the pain go away but it didn’t. It didn’t go away and now I’m just the same monster. Oh god, what did I do?”

Lena held her as the near dead-weight of Kara pulled them slowly down onto the floor. There were too many things, she didn’t know how to keep up with all of them. She didn’t even know if she wanted to. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she wasn’t going to see Jess’ voice greeting her every morning again. She was still reeling from the fact that her brother wasn’t the only person closest to her that have killed someone before. She hadn’t fully accepted that the person breaking down in her arms somehow drove a man to kill people, one of which was her own friend. They hadn’t even dealt with their relationship, that kiss, those dates. It was just, too much.

Gorden.

Kara.

Humans.

Aliens.

Fear.

Hope.

…

_Hope._

Lena’s breath caught as a thought rushed through her mind. Her brain focused on it as it usually did. One at a time, Lex would say. Every time she came to him, overwhelmed, he would laugh lightly and just messed her hair. _You’re taking on too many things at once, don’t try to think of everything, do it one by one._

_“_ You can’t keep hiding. Not this time.”

 

—

 

Kara nursed her hot chocolate as the sound of Alex’s angry pacing filled the room. Lena was beside her on the couch with Winn placed across from her on her living chair. He was deep in thought it seemed. 

Alex stopped and glared at them, “This isn’t going to work.” 

“It might not work. There’s a difference.” Lena interjected.

At Kara’s incredulous stare, Lena simply shrugged, “Just being realistic.”

Alex crossed her arms, “You’re talking about exposing her to the public. Intentionally!”

“She’s already exposed, we have a chance to turn it into a good thing.”

As Kara watched the two of them go at it, she felt like she was a witness to a verbal world war 3. Lena’s suggestion caught her off-guard and went against all she had been taught, that she had done. A part of her still hadn’t believed that she agreed to do it, let alone that she wanted to do it.

Alex looked at her pleadingly, “Kar, this is-”

“Crazy, I know.” Kara interrupted. “But I have to. I can’t take back what I did. I want to help, Alex. I want to stop these kinds of things from happening ever again.”

Alex shook her head, “Don’t do this out of guilt.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

Kara paused, was she? Was she doing this so she could forget what she did? Find a way to excuse herself of what she did? Rid herself of her past and everything she’d done? Be someone else? Someone good?

“What’s done is done.” Lena chimed. “Fear of aliens. That’s what started all of this. We need an alien to be a figure of hope, someone we can count on, someone we can trust. You can be that, Kara. We need you to be.”

“Agreed,” Winn said. Alex slapped his shoulder and Winn didn’t react, simply looked over his shoulder, “This might be her only chance.”

“She can fly for god’s sake! She can get herself to the other side of the earth, far away from here and she’ll be fine!”

“At forgiveness.” Winn corrected. He looked at her then, the most serious she’d ever seen him. “This whole thing needs to end. The only thing this whole thing has done is get people killed. Enough is enough.”

_Killed._ Kara looked at her side and tried to figure out what Lena was thinking. They hadn’t talked much about other things than her going public with her alien identity. She wondered if Lena blamed her, for Jess, for her brother, for pulling her back to National City despite her wish to stay far away from here. Kara wondered if Lena thought that she was the same person as Lex was. A murderer. 

She thought about if things were different. What if she never made that choice to come back home and look for that man, that man that took her family away from her. The choice that turned her into him. Someone that broke families apart. Maybe Jess would still be alive. Maybe all of those people would still be alive. Could things have been different? She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure of anything, except this. 

Maybe she was doing it for the wrong reasons. Maybe she was doing it for herself rather than for the people of National City. Maybe if she were braver, she would’ve done this years ago. Wasn’t that what heroes did? Show up to save the day when people need them the most? Kara didn’t feel like a hero. 

“We don’t have to fully expose her.” Lena suggested.

“Explain.” Alex said.

“An alter-ego. Get her a suit, something flashy, something people don’t normally wear on their day-to-day. Separate her alien identity from her human one. She’ll be able to keep on living as Kara Danvers in relative peace.”

“Like a superhero costume?” Winn asked.

Lena hesitantly nodded, “Sure.” 

“I can help with that.” Winn said.

At Kara’s sideways look he replied, “Don’t you trust me?”

Kara narrowed her eyes, “With IT stuff? Absolutely. Not sure about you telling me what to wear.”

“O ye of little faith.”

Alex finally took a seat on the other living chair and Kara took her hands, “I’ll be fine. And I could really use your help.”

Alex’s grip tightened. Kara knew she was thinking about it. Kara knew she was close to convincing her. 

A deep sigh.

“I still don’t know about this but… How can I help?”

Kara beamed.

 

—

 

Supergirl.

That was what they called her. Well, Cat Grant was to blame for that. Winn was the first to mistake her house crest as an S and Kara figured most people would. She argued to call her a woman, but at Ms. Grant’s look she gave it up.

Alex told her to start small. Help do little things. Let the public get used to the sight of a flying caped crusader. A cat stuck on a tree here. Helping an old woman cross the road there. The most exciting event was stopping a mugging. Looking at the woman that thanked her profusely despite her obvious non-human qualities made her think that yes, she was doing the right thing.

People’s opinions differed, obviously. For weeks the news ran footage of this alien in a red and blue costume flying around town. Some said that this was proof that aliens weren’t bad, that it was all a propaganda cooked up by the known terrorist Lex Luthor, some were unsure. If aliens like her existed how can they be sure she wouldn’t suddenly go rogue and attack them. How would humans protect themselves then?

Kara kept her head down and tried her best. Alex was right, doing the little things helped. She wasn’t sure what the future had in store for her, predicting the future was more of Lena’s thing than hers.

Lena. Lena. Lena.

They hadn’t talked much after that day at her apartment. Lena told her she needed time and Kara tried her best to give her that. Sometimes she’d fly and pass by the L-Corp building, making sure she was okay. Lena’s steady heartbeat calmed her before the next emergency pulled her somewhere else. 

Now, as she stared at the message Lena sent her a mere five minutes ago asking for Kara to meet her she wondered if she should be excited or terrified. She felt a bit of both honestly. 

Okay.

Maybe a bit more on the terrified side.

She made her way to L-Corp’s building and landed softly on her balcony. There she was, sitting behind her desk as usual. She knocked, which made Lena looked back and gave her a smile with a tilt of her head signaling for her to come in. 

“Supergirl, what can I do for you?”

Kara rolled her eyes, “Stop.”

Lena stood up, “It’s not a bad name.”

“They’re calling me a _girl_.”

“You _are_ a girl. Besides, it’s catchy.”

Lena’s hand came up to touch her crest, finger tracing over the S.

“My house crest, the house of El.” Kara explained.

“It’s beautiful.”

Kara smiled softly, “It also stands for a Kryptonian phrase, our family motto. El Mayarrah, means stronger together. It seemed fitting.”

Lena stepped back, “Have to say, I didn’t think losing the glasses and ponytail was much of a disguise.”

“People don’t usually think the person right next to them could be that person on TV.” 

“Well, yes, but glasses? Really?”

Lena laughed at Kara’s answering shrug. This was one of the first time she’d seen Lena this light-hearted in a while. She wanted to memorize it, every moment of it, with her. So that whatever happened next, at least she’ll have that.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked softly.

A dark cloud came through Lena’s eyes for a second before it disappeared and Kara wanted to hit herself for bringing down the mood.

“Are you?”

“I asked first.”

Lena went to her cabinet and poured a glass of water, drinking it without turning back to Kara said, “I’ve been thinking.”

“About?”

“Us.”

Kara’s heart stopped, “Us?”

Lena nodded and finally turned around, leaning back on the cabinet behind her. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Have you been thinking about us?”

Every day. Every minute. Every second. Kara tried to answer but anything she tried to get out felt clogged. She cleared her throat. “I- yes.”

“What about?” Lena asked softly.

Kara wondered why she was the one in the spot now. She tried to think of the right thing to say. Looking at Lena though, she knew she deserved more than _the right thing to say_. She knew she deserved the truth, deserved for Kara to open herself, consequences be damned. Kara took a deep breath and prayed to Rao she was doing the right thing.

The words came out louder than she intended with the force she needed to get it out, “If you blame me.”

“Blame you?”

“For what happened to- to- Jess and all of those people.”

Lena seemed to contemplate her answer before asking, “Why do you think that?”

“Because if I hadn’t done that. If I hadn’t killed that man, they would still be alive.”

“You don’t know that.” 

“I do.”

“If Lex hadn’t asked him to hurt your family, they would still be alive. Maybe they all would still be alive. But truth is, we don’t know do we? We can’t be sure.”

Kara shook her head, “What Lex did, didn’t detract from what I did.”

“No, it didn’t. Just like what you did didn’t excuse Gorden to do what he did.” Lena pushed herself off the cabinet, “All my life, I’ve been trying to do good. I didn’t want to be like Lex, I didn’t want to be like the rest of my family. What I found afterward, was being good isn’t that clear. The world doesn’t exist in a good and evil scale, it’s grey, full of uncertainties. What’s right for us can be completely wrong for others. What’s a murderer to someone can be a hero to others. I only know what I know to be right.”

Lena was much closer now. Kara gulped at the lack of distance between them and the aroma of vanilla and ambergris filled her senses. “And what’s that?” Kara asked.

“That you did what you thought was right. That you’re doing what you think is right. And um-” Lena closed her eyes before opening it, and Kara thought hazel was now her favorite color. “That I want to be with you.” She whispered.

Kara didn’t realize her hand was held in a tight fist on her side until she felt Lena gently pulling it apart, and Kara let her. “Despite everything?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Kara didn’t realize it when the tears slowly came, until Lena held out her hand to her cheek, wiping the drops that slid down. “I don’t know.”

Kara closed her eyes and put her hand on top of Lena’s on her cheek. Breathe in. Breathe out. This was real. This was not a dream. It felt like one. Lena’s touch the only thing anchoring her to the reality. 

Kara leaned closer and Lena met her halfway. The soft pressure on her lips as they moved their mouths against each other. With each other. When they pulled back, long minutes afterward, Kara leaned her forehead on Lena’s.

“Thank you.”

  

* * *

 

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone that's been reading, leaving comments, and kudos. This is my first attempt at fanfiction so I know there are still plenty of things I need to improve on. Any constructive criticism is appreciated, I'd love to hear what you think! 
> 
> Till next time!


End file.
